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ERRATA. 

Page G. For 1779 read 17{>9. 
Page 30. Line 2. For oi read of. 

Line 14. For Jonas read John. 




miVM llEATEN AT THE UATTI.E OV I.EXIXC.TOX 
BY WM. niAMONn, NOW IN THE POSSESSION 
01' THE LEXINGTON HISTORICAL SOCI- 
ETY. THE l,ONG R01,l, ON THIS 
nUl'M WAS THE FIRST OVERT 
ACT OF THE ItEVOEUTION. 




HAYES JlKMOUIAl, lOlNTAlX AND STATIK OK CAl'TATN JOHN I'AHKKU, 

l,KXINGTON COJIMON. DEnit'ATKn 1900. 

HENKY H. KITSON. SITI.PTOR. 



The foundation and drinkinji' basin an- of field stont*s. At the 
ground level are small basins (one on either side) for animals unable to 
drink from the prineipal or horse basin. 



LEXINGTON 



BIRTHPLACE OF AMERICAN LIBERTY 



A HANDBOOK 

COXTAIXINCi 

AN Af'COUNT OF THE BATTLK OF LEXINGTON PAUL RKVERE's 

NARRATIVE OF HIS FAMOUS RIDE A SKETCH OF THE TOWN 

AND THE PLACES OF HISTORIC INTEREST INSCRIP- 
TIONS ON ALL HISTORIC TARLETS DIRECTORY 

M\P AND NUMEROITS ILLUSTRATIONS 



By FRKD S. PI PER 

II 

'RESlnKXT (If THi: Li:XIX(iTON' HISrOHICAI. SOCIETY 



Copyright \90-2. 1910. by Lexington Historical Soi-iety 



THIRD EDITION 



LKXIXGTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

LEXINGTON 

1910 



''> 



THE OLD MONUMENT ON THE COMMON. 



Sacred to Liberty anu the Rights of Mankind ! ! ! 

To THE Freedom and Independence of America 

Sealed and Defended with the Blood of her Sons. 

This Monument is erected 

By the inhabitants of Lexington, 

under the patronage and at the expense of 

The Commonwealth ok Massachusetts, 

To THE Memory of their Fellow Citizens, 

Ensign Robert Munroe and Messrs. Jonas Parker, 

Samuel Hadley, Jonathan FIarrington, Jr., 
FsAAC Muzzy, Caleb Harrington and John Brown 

OF Lexington, and Asahel Porter of Woburn, 

Who fell on this Field, the First Victims to the 

Sword of British Tyranny and Oppression, 

ON THE morning OF THE EVER MEMORABLE 

Nineteenth of April An. Dom. 1775, 

The Die was Cast ! ! ! 

The Blood of these Martyrs 

In the cause of God and their Country 

was the Cement of the Union of thesiJ States, then 

Colonies, and gave the spring to the Spirit, Firmness 

ANij Resolution of their Fellow Citizens. 

They rose as one Man to revenge their Brethren's 

Blood, and at the Point of the Sword, to Assert and 

Defend their native Rights. 

They nobly dar'd to be free!! 

THE Contest was long, bloody and affecting. 

Righteous Heaven approved the solemn appeal. 

Victory crowned their arms; and 

The Peace, Liberty, and Inde^'endence of the United 

States of America was the4r Glorious Reward. 

built in the year J779. 
inscription by rev. JONAS CLARKE. 



(0;C!.A268a64 



4 , 



V 







MINHOK TAVEKX 

r WAS ill tlie yi-ay dawn of that April 
iiu)niini>- 177^) — "A jilorious niorniiif)- 
tor America"" — when the Royal troops 
reached Lexinoton Common. 

They had heard tlie drum beat of the 
minute men and advanced on double- 
(piick"" with l(»aded muskets. 

About seventy minute men, brave de- 
fenders of their rijilits, had assembled 
to meet six hundred trained soldiers. 
"Too few to resist, too brave to fly,"" they did tiie best they 
could, and after years of conflict here be<)un, American Liberty 
was born. The colonists had linig contended aoainst British 
opjjression. James Otis resijined his office as the Kino"s advo- 
cate and defended the riobts of Bostonians, — the first stei^ in 
the revolution. The stamp act had been jjassed and repealed. 
Patrick Henry had si)oken out boldly in Viroinia. 

The first Continental Congress met September 5, 1774.. 





STDNK t'ANNOX 



The Provincial Congress 
assembled one month 
later, assumed the gov- 
ernment of the colony, 
except in Boston where 
the British troops were 
stationed, took measures 
to organize militia com- 
panies and to prej>are for 
resistance by force if nec- 
essary. Executive power 
was placed in the hands of the Connnittee of Safety, prominent 
members of which were Dr. Joseph Warren and John Hancock. 
A close watch was kept over the movements of the British 
soldiers. The King had entrusted the government of Massa- 
chusetts to Gen. Gage, the commander of the British army in 
America. He was a man of weak character, and his petty and 
injudicious acts aggravated the inhabitants. 

Large (juantities of military supplies had been collected at 
Salem and Concord. Gage's attempt to take the stores at Salem, 
Fel). 'iU, 177.'), resulted in a ridiculous failure. In March it was 
reported that he intended to capture or destroy the stores at 
Concord, which, from this time on, were carefully guarded. 

The Provincial Congress, which had been in session in 
Concord, adjourned April I.'). 

The Committee of Safety adjourned at Concord April 17, 
and Samuel Adams and John Hancock, arch traitors in the esti- 
mation of the Royal government, then became the guests of 
Rev. Jonas Clarke, pastor at Lexington. Gen. Gage kept his 
plans secret, and it is interesting to conjecture the part jilayed 
by his wife who was the daughter of a New Jersey patriot. 

(iordon, who was chaplain of the Provincial Congress, says 

in his History of the Independence of the United States": 

A daughter of liberty sent word by a trusty hand to Mr. 

Samuel Adams, residing in company with Mr. Hancock about 

thirteen miles from Charlestown, that the troops were coming 

8 



V 



out ill a few days — ."' Several historical writers seem to con- 
firm tlie belief that tliis "Daughter of Liberty*" was the wife 
of Gen. Gage, and that she gave Dr. Warren valuable inform- 
ation, which was sent by the "trusty liand" of Paul Revere, 
and by William Dawes as well, to Adams and Hancock at 
Lexington. 

(General Thomas Ciage born 1721, died 1787; married 
Dec. 8, 175S, Margaret Kembal, daughter of Peter Kembal, 
President of the Council of New Jersey.) 

Relative to what followed, what can be more interesting or 
authentic than Paul Revere's own written narrative? 

The Saturday njulit pivceding- the 19th of April, about twelve 
o'clock at nifiht. the boats belonjjinj;,- to the transports were all launched, 
and carried under the sterns of the men-of-war. (They had been pre- 
viously hauled up and repaired). We likewise founil that the firenadiers 
and light infantry were all taken oiFduty. 

From these movements we expected something- serious was to be 
transacted. On Tuesday evening, the 18th, it was observeil that a 
number of soldiers were marching towards the bottom of the Common. 
About ten o'clock. Dr. Warren sent in great haste for me, and begged 
that I would immediately set off for Lexington, where Messrs. Hancock 
and Adams were, and acquaint them of the movement, and that it was 
thought they were the objet-ts. When I got to Dr. Warren's house. I 
found he had sent an express by land to Lexington. — a Mr. William 
Dawes. The Sunday before, by desire of Dr. Warren. I had been to 
Lexington, to Messrs. Hancock ant! Adams, who were at the Kev. 
Mr. Clark's. I returned at night througli 
Charlestown; there I agreed with a Col- 
onel Conant and some other gentlemen, 
that if the British went out by water, we 
would show two lanthorns in the North 
Church steeple; and if by land, one as a 
signal; for we were apprehensive it would 
be difficult to cross the Ciiarles River, or 
get over Boston Neck. I left Dr. Warren, 
called upon a friend, and desired liiin to 
make the signals. I then wc-nt honu-. took 
my boots and surtout, went to the north 
part of the town, where I kept a boat; two 
friends rowed me across Charles River a 
little to the eastward where the Somerset 

9 




uorKT'i'i: oi' 

.ION AS CI.AKKi: 




)itin Air \i\ s'liAin 



man-o f-war lay. It was then 
youn^ flood, the ship was 
windinfi", and the moon was 
rising'. 

They landed me on the 
Charlestown side. When I 
got into town, I met Colonel 
Conant and several others; 
they said they had seen our 
signals. I told them what 
was acting, and went to get 
me a horse; I got a horse of 
Deacon Larkin. While the 
horse was preparing, Rich- 
ard Devens, Esq., who was 
one of the Committee of 
Safety, came to me, and told 
me that he came down the 
road from Lexington, after 
sundown, that evening; that 
he met ten Britisii officers, well luounted and armed, going up the road. 
I set off upon a very good horse; it was then about eleven o"cloc-k. 
and very pleasant. After I had passed Charlestown Neck, and got nearly 
opposite where Mark was hung in i-hains, I saw two men on horseback 
under a tree. When I got near them. I discovered they were British 
officers. One tried to get ahead of me, and the other to take me. I 
turned my horse very quick and galloped towards Charlestown Neck, 
and then pushed for the Medford road. The one who chased me, en- 
deavoring to cut me off. got into a clay pond, near where the new tavern 
is now built. I got clear of him. and went through Medford, over the 
bridge, and up to Menotomy. In Medford, I awakened the Captain of 
the Minute Men; and after that. I alarmed almost every house, till I 
got to Lexington. 

I found Messrs. Hancock and Adams at the Rev. Mr. Clark's; I 
told them my errand, and enquired for Mr. Dawes; they said he had 
not been there; I related the story of the two officers, and supposed that 
he must have been stopped, as he ought to have been there before me. 
After I had been there about half an hour. Mr. Dawes came; we refreshed 
ourselves, and set off for Concord, to secure the stores, etc., there. We 
were overtaken by a young Dr. Prescott, whom we foimd to be a high 
Son of Liberty. I told them of the ten officers that Mr. Devens met, 
and that it was probable we might be stopped before we got to Concord; 
for I supposed that after night they divided themselves, and that two of 

10 




11 



tlit-m liad fixed themselves in such passages as were most likely to stop 
any intelliuence ftoing- to Coneord. I likewise mentioned that we had 
better alarm all the inhabitants till we ^ot to Coneord; the young- Doetor 
much approved of it. and said he would stop with either of us. for the 
people between that and Concortl knew him. and would give the more 
c-redit to what we said. We had got nearly half way; Mr. Dawes and 
the Doctor stopped to alarm the people of a house; I was about one hun- 
dred rods ahead, when I saw two men. in nearly the same situations as 
those officers were, near Charlestown. I called for the Doctor and Mr. 
Dawes to come up; in an instant I was sin-rounded by four; — they had 
placed themselves in a straight road, that inclined each way; they had 
taken down a pair of bars on the north side of the road, and two of them 
were under a tree in the pasture. The Doctor being foremost, he came 
up; and we tried to get past them; but they being armed with pistols 
and swords, they forced us into the pasture; the Doctor jumped his 
horse over a low stone wall, and got to Conc-ortl, I observed a wood at 
a small distance, anti made for that. When I got there, out started six 
officers, on horseback, and ordered me to dismount; — one of them, who 
appeared to have the command, examined me. where I came from, and 
what my name was? I told him. He asked me if I was an express? I 
answered in the affirmative. He demanded what time I left Boston? 
I told him: and added, that their troops had catched aground in passing 
the river, and that there would be five hundred Americans there in a 
short time for I had alarmed the 
country all the way up. He im- 
mediately rode towards those who 
stopped us. when all five of theni 
came down uj)on a full gallop; 
one of them, whom I afterwartls 
found to be a Major Mitchell of 
the .>th Regiment, clapped his 
pistol to my head, called me by 
name, and said he was going to 
ask me some (piestions. and if I 
did not give him true answers he 
would blow my braiTis out. He 
then asked me similar (|ucstions 
to those above. He then ordered 
me to mount my horse after 
searc'hing me for arms. He then 
ordered them to advance and to 
lead me in front. When we got 
to the road, thev turned down 




I'ourKAi'r oi- 

SIA.lOl! UII.I.l.X.M DAWKS 



1^2 




MA. Hilt ITIlATItS 



toward Lexinjiton. and wlien we had 
jj-ot about one mile, the Major rode 
up to the offieer that was leadinjj,- me 
and told him to give \i\c to the Ser- 
jj,i-ant. As soon as he told me, the 
Major ordered him. if I attempted 
to run. or anybody insulted tiicm. to 
lilow my biviins out. \\'e rode till we 
j>ot near lA'xinjiton meeting-house. 
when till' militia tired a volley of 
jj'uns. whieh ajjpeared to alarm lliem 
very mucdi. The major in(|uired of 
me how far it was to C';imbridne. and 
if there were any other road. After 
some consultation, the Major rode up 
to the Sergeant, and asked if his 
horse was tired. He answered him 

he was — he was a Sergeant of Grenadiers, and had a small horse — then 
take that man's horse. I dismounted and the Sergeant mounted my horse, 
when they all rode toward Lexington meeting-house. I went across the 
burying'-groimd and some pastures, and came to the Rev. Mr. Clark's 
house, where I found Messrs. Hancock and Adams. I told them of my 
treatment, and they concluded to go from that house towards Wobinai. 
I went with them, and a Mr. Lowell, who was a clerk to Mr. Hancock. 
When we got to the house where they intended to stop. Mr. Lowell and 
myself returned to Mr. Clark's to find what was going on. When we 
got there an elderly man came in; he said he had just come from the 
tavern, that a man had c-onn- from Boston, who said there were no British 
troops coming. Mr. Lowell and myself went towards the tavern, when 
we met a man on a full galloji. who told us the troops were coming up 
the rocks. We afterwards met another, who said they were close by. 
Mr. Lowell asked me to go to the tavern with him. to get a trinik of 
papers belonging to Mr. Hancock. We went up chamber, and while we 
were getting the trunk, we saw the British very near, upon a full march. 
We hurried towards Mr. Clark's house. In our way. we passed through 
the militia. There were about fifty. When we had got about one hun- 
dred yards from the meeting-house, the British troops appeared on both 
sides of the meeting-house. In their front was an officer on horseback. 
They made a halt; when I .saw and heard a gun tired, which appeared 
to be a pistol. Then I could distinguish two guns, and then a continual 
roar of musketry: when we madi' off with the trunk. 

Captain Parker cominanded liis company not to fire unless 
fired upon. The British approached on both sides of the meet- 



incr house following the lead of Maj. Pitcairn, who ordered the 
Minute Men to disperse. As they did not disperse he repeated 
the order with added emphasis, and fired his pistol at them. 
Each side claimed that the other fired first ; but it seems con- 
clusive that the first shot came from the British, who fired two 
volleys, the second with fatal effect. The Minute Men returned 
a few shots from the position they had taken, and dispersed, 
continuing the fire as best they could from their places of re- 
treat. Relative to one of the Minute Men, Edward Everett 
wrote in 1835 : 

'• Roman history does not furnish an example of bravery that out- 
shines that of Jonas Parker. A truer heart did not bleed at Thermopylae. 
Parker was often heard to say. that be the consequences what they 
might, and let others do what they pleased, he would never run from 
the enemy. He was as good as his word — better. Having loaded his 
musket, he placed his hat. containing his ammunition, on the ground 
between his feet in readiness for a second charge. At the second fire 
he was wounded and sank upon his knees; and in this condition, dis- 
charged his gun. While loading it again, upon his knees, and striving 
in the agonies of death to redeem his pledge, he was transfixed by a 
bayonet: — and thus died on the spot where he first stood and fell."" 

After about lialf an hour's delay the British i)roceeded to 
Concord, Avhere they were so warmly received that they soon 
began their r e t r e a t 
over the same route. 
They were attacked 
by the gathering army 
of patriots from all 
sides. The British 
officers tried to restore 
order among their sol- 
diers and check tlie 
retreat but in vain, till 
they met Earl Percy 
with reinforcements 
half a mile beyond 

Lexington Common tomhstone oi cu-r. i'arker 

14 





15 




THE DK. .lOSKl'H FISKK HOTSE 



toward Boston. Hert% under tlie i)rotection of two field pieces 
and the reinforeenients, the British liad their Hrst rest after six- 
teen hours steady niarc-hinji. They remained in this vicinity 
ahout two hours, |)illa^>iny and hurniny several buildinjis, killing 
cattle, ett'. After cariny for the wounded at Munroe Tavern, 
eating' and drinkin<> all that they could <i,et, they killed the bar 
tender, set fire to the house and resumed their retreat. Fortu- 
nately tlie fire was discovered and extin<>ui8hed before nuu-h 
damage had been done. 

Seven Lexin<)ton men (and one Woburn man) were killed, 
and nine wounded on or near the Common in the morniny, and 
■'> were killed and 1 wounded in the afternoon. Thus Lexinf^ton 
lost more men durin<>- the day tlian any other town, Danvers 
being second with a loss of 7 killed, 'A wounded, and 1 missing. 
The total losses for the dav were, Provincials, W killed, .S(i 
wounded and Fi missing; British, ~'.i killed, 174 wounded and 
;i() missing. Such, in brief, were the events which, in Lexing- 
ton, ushered in the Dawn of Liberty. 

Id 



IT was twenty years after the I'ilyriins landed at Plymouth 
and five years after Peter Bulkley settled at Concord when 
Robert Herlarkenden built the first house in Cambrid<>e Farms. 
Cambrid<>e, about this time, (•onii)rised a lar<>e tract of land 
extendin<>' from tlie diaries and alon^i' the Shawshine to the 
Merrimac River. 

riie first settlement was near \'ine Brook. Most of the 
meadows and some of the uplands were found free from W(»od 
and brush, |)robably havin<)- been burned by the Indians. Before 
these lands were permanently settled, Cambridge people used 
them as an additional source of hay. Prominent among the 
early inliabitants who settled here are the names Munroe, Tidd, 
Bowman, Bridge, Reid, Wellington and Merriani. Cambridge 
Farms remained the north precinct of Cambridge till ](i!>l when 
it was incorjiorated as a separate parish. 

Benjamin FiStal)rook was the first minister of tiie town at a 
salary of <£40 a year. A meeting house was built on tlie south- 
east corner of the Connnon where the marble tablet now stands. 
Mr. Kstabrook died July ^'2, K)!'?, and on the 7th of Novem- 
ber, 1()97, John Hancock of 
Cambridge was chosen a can- 
didate to preach till the fol- 
lowing May. He was |)ublicly 
ordained Nov. 'i, ItiDS, and 
contimied his ministry here 
for fifty-five years. 

The town was inc-orpor- 
atedas Lexington, Marcli ,S 1 , 
171.'^, taking its name prob- 
ably from Lord Lexington, a 
British statesman of promi- 
nence at that time. Town 
officers were immediately 
chosen and the following 
month the selectmen voted 
to erect a payer of stocks'" 

17 




REV. .JOHN HANCOCK 

(Painted by Smibert) 



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EIJZABETH t'l.ARK HANCOCK. 
WIl'E OF IlEV. JOHN HANCOCK 

(Painted by Smibert) 



as required by law. Just 
where the stocks was built 
is uncertain, but probably, 
according- to common custom, 
near the meeting house. 

This same year a new 
meeting house was built near 
the old one. It was .50 ft. b_v 
40 ft. and 28 ft. high. The 
first school house was erected 
in 171.5 on the Common 
where the granite monument 
now stands. 

The town early became 
noted for its military spirit 
and took an active part in 
the French and Indian wars. 
The staunch character and determination of the men composing 
the militia were finally displayed in tlie battle on the Common, 
April 10, 177.5, when Cajjt. John Parker and 70 men faced 600 
trained soldiers of Britain. Lexington men participated in 17 
different camjjaigns during the revolution. 

The ])opulation of the town in 177.5 was not more than 800. 
In the Civil war the town furnished more than her full (]uota. 

In 1875 the town celebrated the centennial anniversary of 
the battle in an elaborate way. Business in Boston and through- 
out this part of the State was generally suspended, and from an 
early hour i)eoi)le i)oured into Lexington by every possible con- 
veyance. The streets were soon so crowded that carriages could 
not approach within a mile of the center. Careful estimates 
placed the number of visitors at 100,000. Tlie day was ushered 
in by a salute of 100 guns at sunrise. The weather was fair but 
very cold for the seasf)n, and the experiences at dinner in the 
big tent on the Connnon and at the ball in the evening have 
been an unending source of anecdote. 

Among the guests of honor were President L . S. Grant and 
18 




19 





STATUE OF 
SAJrUEI, ADAMS 
IN TOWN HAIJ. 



STATIK Ul' 
JOHN HANC'Ol'K 
IN TOWN HAIJ. 



his cabinet. Oneofthe 
most interesting' cere- 
monies of the day was 
the unveilinfi; of tlie 
statues of Adams and 
Hancock, cut from Car- 
rara marble. The statue 
of Adams was made in 
Rome b.v Martin Mil- 
more, a Boston artist. 
The statue of Hancock 
was made in Florence 
by Thomas R. (iould, 
also a Boston artist. 
The contracts stii)ula ted 
that tlie statues should 
be delivered in Lexin<>- 
ton on or before Jaiuiary 1, 187.5, but with intense anxiety 
their arrival was witnessed by the li<iht of a bri<iht moon Sat- 
urday, April 17. 

Another imjKjrtant jjresentation to the town at this time 
was Pitcairn's |)istols, by Mrs. John P. Putnam of Cambridge, 
N. y. On the retreat of the British on the afternoon of A|)ril 
19, 177.5, a skirmish took place near Fiske's Hill in which Maj. 
Pitcairn was wounded and fell from his horse. These i)istols 
with the horse and accoutrements were captured by the Pro- 
vincials, and later sold at auction in Concord. The holsters 
and pistols were i)urchased by Nathan Barrett, who presented 
them to General Putnam, from whom they descended to his 
grandson, the husband (deceased) of the donor. 

At one time quite a lot of mamifacturin<>' was done in Lex- 
ington, but to-day it is chiefly a residential suburb. There are 
many t>()od farms devoted to <iardenin<>' and the jjroduction of 
milk. In 187.5 Worcester was the only |>lace in the Strife that 
])roduced more milk than Lexinoton. The land is ru^j>ed and 
much diversified. For the most part it is producti\e and con- 

20 




l{()ri.l)i:U MAKKINC l.IXK OF BATTLE 



tains several rich peat meadows. The town is noted for its 
healthfulness and hif>h elevation, beino- about 10 miles from the 
coast and "iliO feet above sea level. 

A steam railroad was built from Lexinjiton to Boston in 
l.SK), and in 1 !»()()- liU)! electric street railroads were built to 
Arlino'ton, Bedford, Wa\erly, Concord, Waltham and Woburn. 
The i)o|)ulation of the town and valuation by 50 year ])eriods 
has I'.een as follows: — ](i.)0. jxipulation SO, valuation unknown; 
17()(). population ,'550, \aluation unknown; 1750, ])opulation 
7()1, valuation unknown; ISOO, ])opulation lOOti, valuation 
$'25 1,05^2.00: 1.S50. |)opulatioii 1S8S, valuation $1 ,.S()9,4.5;5. 00 ; 
lf)()(), population .'!,S;;i, valuation $5,182,000.00; liMO, popu- 
lation about 5000, valuation about 17,250,000.00. 

BOULDER. 

Tlie words of C'ai)t. Parker are found in a letter 1).\ his 
•srandson, Theodore Parker, to (ie(»r<>e Bancroft, as a tradition 
in the Parker family. It was confirmed by Col. Wm. Munroe, 
orderly serj^eant of Capt. Parker's company. 

The estimated weight of this boulder is fifteen tons. 

21 



LEXINGTON COMMON. 

A committee was chosen at a public meeting in 1707 to 
treat with " Nibour Muzzy '" about the purchase of a piece of 
land lying north of the meeting house. Four years later nego- 
tiations were completed and in consideration of £16 Nibour 
Muzzy " deeded to the inhabitants of Cambridge Farms a cer- 
tain parcel of land estimated to contain one and one-half acres. 
In l7'-22, the town enlarged the Common by the purchase of an 
additional acre at a cost of £25. This was the origin of Lex- 
ington Common, the birthplace of American liberty. 

BUCKMAN TAVERN. 

There are at least ten houses standing in Lexington to-day 
that antedate the Revolution. 

Of the twelve taverns (mce doing active business in Lex- 
ington, tlie oldest was built in 1G9() by Benjamin Muzzey, and 
is now known as Buckman Tavern. It stands on Bedford street 
beside the old battle ground, and although the tablet giving 
brief historical data has been recently removed it may be easily 
recftgnized. 



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Oj 




;^ 


^ 


s 



.= o 



23 



It contained the first store in town and in it the first post 
office was opened m 1812. The business of this house was said 
to be more with "carriage folks" than with teamsters. It 
contained nine fireplaces and is architecturally the finest of the 
old houses in town. 

John Buckman, a member of Cai)t. Parker's company, was 
the landlord in 1775, and here the Minute Men assembled on 
the morniny of the battle. 

Two wounded British soldiers were brouoht here on the 
afternoon of the conflict, one of whom died and was buried in 
the old cemetery. The house is in <>ood condition to-day, and 
proudly retains the scars made by British bullets during the 
only official visit ever paid to Lexington by His Majesty's 
soldiers. 
MONUMENT. 

On the west side of the old Common stands the granite 
monument, erected in 1799, in memory of the men killed in 
the Battle of Lexington 
and the cause for which 
they fought and died. It 
is probably the first monu- 
ment of the Revolution. 

The bodies of the slain 
were originally buried in 
a common grave in the old 
cemetery, but in 18,S.5 the 
remains were taken up, 
placed in a lead covered 
casket, this encased in 
a mahogany sarcojjhagus 
aiul dejjosited in a tomb 
tliat had been constructed 
in front of the foundation 
of this monument. Ed- 
ward Kverett was the ora- 
tor of the occasion. The kkvoi. tk.nahv soinrKHs' MoxrMKXT 

^4. 





^^ 


M 






^i^ '^ar^Spjk 






L ^^^S^ 




«H 


f '-^g 


fe> 




1 ji^^^M 


J.-IV' 






c- '.,' 




k.'" ^^mH 


n 




^mf^i 


m 


1 




m^^^^^^^WSIl 



inscription on tliis monu- 
ment was written by Rev. 
Jonas Clarke, the minister 
of the town from IToa to 
]S().5. (See jwiye (!. ) 

Here, beside this old 
monument, Lafayette was 
welcomed to Lexin<>ton 
Sept. 2, 18^21, and here 
Kossuth was received by 
the town May 11, 18.52. 

A cojn' of the inscrip- 
tion will be found facin<>' 
the title paye of this book. 
In recent years it has be- 
come a custom on Memo- 
rial Day to decorate this 
monument with wreaths 
and flowers. 




THE OLD BEl.I'KV 



BELFRY. 

At a Town Meeting held June l.'i, 17()1, " Mr. Isaac Stone 
came into said meetin<>- and <>ave the Town a Bell to be for the 
Town's use forever — wliicli Hell was there, and weighed P'our 
Hundred and Sixty Three pounds — for which the Moderator 
in the name of the Town returned him thanks. 

"Then voted. To lian<>- y'' Bell on y*^ toj) of >" Hill u|)on 
y^ south side of Lieut. James Munroe's house."" 

Tlie committee for buildin"- this "Bell free"" rendered 
their account the followinji' > ear, wliicli sliows the cost to liaxf 
been £21 -1 2-V-l 'i-^/. 

In 17()8, it was I'emoved to tlie south side of the Common 
near the present site of the old monument. ' Hei-e it remained 
for thirty years sunnnoniny- the peojjle to worship, warning' them 
at nine at nij>ht to rake up the fires and "o to bed and tolling 
for them when, one after anotlier, they passed away."* From 
this belfr\- the alarm was runu' on the mornini)- of April I !•. I 77."), 




HOJIF. 01" 3IABRETT AXI) NATHAX Ml'XKOE 

callinj),- the Miiuite^Men|[t() the Common. It was purchased by 
a son of ('apt. Parker in 17!>7, and removed to the Parker place 
in the south ])art of the town where it was used for a wheel- 
wrioht's sliop. There it remained till ISiU, when it was pre- 
sented to the Lexinoton Historical Society and removed to 
Belfry Hill near the spot where it was built. Much weakened 
by decay and beyond preservation, it was destroyed by a gale 
on June '20, HU)!>. The Belfry now on the site where the 
original last stood, is an exact reproduction, erected by The 
Lexington Historical Society 1910. The bell long ago disap- 
peared, but tlie tongue is treasured by the town as a \aluable 
relic of tlie past and may be seen in the vault at the Hancock- 
Clarke House. 



MARRETT MUNROE HOUSE. 

On tlic ojjposite side of the avenue fnmi the Soldier's Monu- 
ment, stands the house of Marrett and Nathan Munroe, built 
1729. 

26 




BIl.I. OF T)K. FISKE FOH t AH K Ol' WOIV DKI) HHITISM SOLDIERS. 
21 



HANCOCK-CLARKE HOUSE. 



Next after the battle<ir<nind, this old parsonage is the most 
interestin<>- and important place, historically, in Lexington. 

It stands on Hancock street, about five minutes walk from 
the Common. The one-story <)ambrel roofed ell was the origi- 
nal house built by Rev. Jolm Hancock in 1G98. It contained 
a good sized living room and the parson's study down stairs, 
and two small, low chambers. Rev. John Hancock married 
Elizabeth Clark of Chelmsford, and to them three sons and two 
daughters were born and reared to maturity in this small dwell- 
ing. The frame is oak, hewed by hand, and shows little signs 
of decay . 

In 1734 Thomas Hancock, the second son of Rev. John 
Hancock, at this time a prosperous Boston merchant, built the 
main portion of the house for his parents. The wainscotting 
in this part of the house is particularly handsome. In all, there 
are eight rooms with a fireplace in each, except one chamber. 
The outer walls of the main ]jart of the house contain a layer 
of bricks extending from tlie sills to the eaves. Here Rev. 
John Hancock lived from KilKS till his death in 1752. 

In 175.5 Rev. 
Jonas Clarke, who 
married a grand- 
daughter of Mr. 
Hancock, became 
the jjastor of Lex- 
ington and occupant 
of this I10USC. 

John Hancock, 
the governor a n d 
signer of the Decla- 
ration, si)cnt nuicli 
time in his boyliood 
at this old home of" 
h i s grandparents, mketinci-house tahi.f.t, t.kxinctox co^nrox 





1 . N T R Y — M IT N K O E T A V E U N 

Showing Chair used by GEowiK Wash ington 
at the dinner given for him, Nov. 5, 1789. 



and liere lie was visitiiiji' in 
C'(»in|)any with Samuel Adams 
when Paul Revere made his 
famous ride. 

Here, also, at tliis time 
was the beautiful Dorothy 
Quiney, John H a ii e o c k * s 
fiancee, to wliom he was mar- 
ried the following)- August. 

Solomon Brown of Le\- 
in<>ton had been to market at 
Boston Ajjril IS, and on his 
return late in the afternoon 
informed Seryt. Munroe tliat 
he had seen nine British offi- 
cers ])assiny u|) the road. 
Munroe, suspectin«j,' that their 
intention was to cai)ture Ad- 
ams and Hancock, |)lace(l a jiuard of well-arnu-d men al)out 
this old house. Some time after Paul Revere delivered his 
messaji'e of warning, Adams and Hancock, for their f>reater 
safety, were conducted to the old parsonajie in Bui'linyton and 
later to Mr. Amos Wyman's house in Billerica. Hancock sent 
a letter back to Dorothy Quiney, retiuestin^' her to follow liiin 
and l)rin<>' the fine salmon that had been sent to them for their 
dinner, which she accordinjily did. At the time of the battle 
it was all open country between Mr. Clarke's house and the 
battle oTound, and the firinjj,- was i)lainly seen from tlie cliambers. 

The house ori<>inally stood on the opposite side of the street 
from its i^resent location. With the aid of patriotic men and 
women in various i)arts of tlie country, Lexinofon Historical 
Society purchased the house, removed it to its jiresent position 
in 1896, and restored it as far as possible to its original condi- 
tion. It contains the valuable and interestin<i' collection of the 
Historical Society. It is ke|)t open to the public throujihout 
the year, and in lUOl was visited by not less than fourteen 

29 




HOl'SK Ol' .JOXATHAX HAHli INGTOX 



thousand people, re])resentiii<i' almost every state in the union, 
as M'ell as many foreign countries. Admission is free. On 
Sundays it is open only in the afternoon. 
MUNROE TAVERN. 

About one-third the distance from the center to the East 
N'illa^e on Massachusetts Avenue, stands Munroe Tavern, built 
in 1695 by William Munroe. When Earl Percy reached Lex- 
ingtcm Mith reinforcements on the afternoon of April 19, IT?.'^, 
he made this f)ld liostelry his headquarters, and here his wounded 
soldiers were treated in the front rcxmi at the left of tlie en- 
trance. The front room at the riyht was the bar room, and in 
the ceiling' is a bullet hole made by the discharge of a British 
musket. Here Washington was entertained at dinner in 1780, 
and tlie armchair in which he sat is still to be seen. Some 
time soon after 1770 an ell, now removed, was built on the 
northwest side of the house ccmtaining a hall about (iO x ^20 feet, 
in which balls and parties were held, and it was here that Hiram 
Lodge of Free Masons was instituted Dec. 12, 1797. 

:5() 



THE HARRINGTON HOUSE. 

On one corner of Khn avenue and Bedford street, about 
ten rods back of the line of the Minute Men in the battle, is 
to be seen the home of Jonathan Harrington, wlio. wounded 
by a British bullet, dra^^yed liiinself to the door and there died 
at his wife's feet. 

OLD NORMAL SCHOOL. 

On the oi)|)osite corner from the Harrin^^ton house staiuls 
a buildin<)' erected in 18^2^2 for the Lexinyton Acachniy. wliicli 
was discontinued about ten years later. 

On July .S. IS.Sit, the first Normal School in America Mas 
opened here under the direction of Rev. Cyrus Pierce. 

THEODORE PARKER. 

Theodore Parker \\;is l)orn on the old homestead in the 
south part of Lexinjiton known as " Kite Knd.*" 

Here his j>randfather. 
C'apt. John Parker, had 
lived, and from this |)lace 
he was summoned by the 
alarm bell to command his 
com])any. April 19, l~~ri. 

Theodore Parker was 
one of the most notable 
men Lexinoton has pro- 
duced. He was born Auy. 
24, 1810, in the old house 
whose former location is 
now marked by the gran- 
ite monument placed there 
by his devoted parishion- 
ers. The house in which 
he was born was destroyed 
some time jirevious to 
18.50. He was a remark- 
able scholar, a liberal 




THEODORE PARKER 

(At a se of 42) 



31 




Ol.l) BiniYIXG GKOrxn, HAXCOCK-Cr.AUKI'; TOJIB IX CEXTRE 

thinker, a lover of nature and his feHoAV creatures. He died 
in Florence, May 10, 1860, and was buried in tlie Protestant 
cemetery there. 

THE OLD BURYING GROUND. 

A short distance off Massachusetts Avenue near the junc- 
tion of Klin Avenue and in tlie rear of the Unitarian Church is 
the old bin-yiny j>round. It is a ])leasant ])lot with outlook 
across broad meadows to risinj>' liills in the distance. 

So far as known, it contains the oldest {>raves in town; 
there arc two or three stones bearing the date of ]()!K), and 
l)i(»l)ably older unniarkcd <>raves. Here the bodies of the Lex- 
ington men, killed in tlie battle. Mere originally buried in one 
grave. Here a British soldier who was Mounded on A))ril 19 
and died in Buckman Tavern April '21, 177.'), Mas buried. It 
contains the graves of tlie first tln-ee ministers of the toMii — 
Kstabrook, Hancock and Clarke. In 1884 the toM-n erected a 
substantial granite monument over the grave of Capt. John 

S2 



Parker. A marble obelisk marks the grave of Gov. Wm. 
Eustice, governor of Massachusetts 1823-182.5 and a member 
of Capt. Parker's com))any. John Augustus was buried in 
tomb No. 4, near the entrance. 

The Hancock tomb contains the remains of Rev. and Mrs. 
John Hancock, Rev. VAienezer Hancock, Rev. and Mrs. Jonas 
Clarke, Mrs. Mary Clarke Ware, — wife of Rev. Henry Ware, 
D.D., — and three other children of Mr. Clarke. The tomb 
was sealed in 184.'i, when the last daughter of Mr. Clarke was 
buried there. 



John Greenleaf Whittier wrote the following poem to a( 
company the bust of Sewall in Cary Memorial Library : — 

Like that ancestral judge who bore his name. 
Faithful to Freedom and to Truth, he gave, 

When all the air was hot with wrath and blame. 
His youth and manhood to the fettered slave. 

And never Woman in her suffering saw 
A helper tender, wise and brave as he. 

Lifting her burden of unrighteous law. 
He shamed the boast of ancient chivalry. 

Noiseless as light that melts the darkness is. 
He wrought as duty led and honor bid. 

No trumpet heralds victories like his. 
The unselfish worker in his work is hid. 



33 




THE OLDEST GRAVESTONE IN THE OLD GRAVEYAHD 



RELICS. 

Liexingtoii possesses many interesting and valiial>le relics of past 
centuries many of wliicU are referred to elsewiiere in tliis book. 



In The Town Hall is a fine oil painting- 8 x 1^ feet of the 
Battle of Lexint>ton by Henry Sandhani, owned by the Lexing- 
ton Historical Society. On tlie frame are these inscriptions — 

TOO FEW TO RESIST, TOO BRAVE TO FLY." 

"THE DAWN OF LIBERTY.** 

APRIL 10 LEXINGTON 1775. 

(This picture is reproduced on the cover of this book.) 



34 




CAUV MKMOIUAI. l.lllHAltV 

GARY MEMORIAL LIBRARY 

was establislied in 18()S, and the present memorial buildino; was 
dedicated in HXXi. Willard D. Brown of Lexington, architect. 
It is open every week day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. It contains 
alxHit ':25, ()()() xolumes with a capacity for r)0,000 volumes ; read- 
ing, study and art rooms ; a marble bust of Theodore Parker, 
made by Sidney H. Morse, 1870; a bust of Samuel K. Sewall 
by Amos Whitney (see i)age IVA); a bust of Brig. GenT 
William Francis Bartlett ; a fine large oil painting of Colum- 
bus at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile," by V, 
Bro/ik of Paris; i)ortrait of Karl Percy, a co])v by Pope, 1879, 
from the original by Pompeo Bartoni ; |K)rtrait of Paul Revere 
by Jane K. Bartlett 188;i, after (Gilbert Stuart 181.S; portrait 
of William Dawes (copy), painter of the original unknown; 
portrait of Col. William Munroe, Orderly Sergeant of Capt. 
Parker's company, by Greenwood (painted on wood); portrait 
of Samuel Bowman; portrait of William H. Cary by Edgar 
Parker (from piiotograph) ; portrait of Mrs. William H. Cary 
by Edgar Parker, 187-i; etc. 

35 



HANCOCK-CLARKE HOUSE 

is the chief repository of the town and contains nearly the whole 
collection oi the Historical Society, numbering- over one thou- 
sand articles. Connected with this house is a commodious fire- 
proof vault for the preservation of the more valuable property. 
Prominent in this collection are portraits of Rev. and Mrs. John 
Hancock, painted by Smibert, silhouette — life size — of Rev. 
Jonas Clarke, set of Doolittle's engravings of the battle of Lex- 
ington and Concord, sword of Robert Newman who hung the 
lanterns in the North Church steeple for Paul Revere, pocket- 
book of Joshua Bentley who rowed Revere across the Charles 
River on the night of April 18, 1775, cannon balls fired by 
Earl Percy's troops April 19, 1775, muskets and swords used 
by Minute Men, silk vest and gold ring once worn by Gov. 
Jonas Hancock, ink well and sermon case and letter seal of 
Theodore Parker, lantern formerly used by Paul Revere, the 
drum that beat the alarm for the Minute Men to assemble, 
Maj. Pitcairn's pistols, minature on ivory of Maj. Pitcairn, 
copied from original, tongue of the bell which alarmed the town 
on April 19. 1775, bill of Dr. Joseph Fiske of Lexington for 
caring for the wounded British soldiers, banner which welcomed 
Lafayette 1824, furniture and implements of colonial days, 
valuable manuscripts and publications. 



36 




arODKKN LEXINGTON. THK 01,1) HKI.FRY Cl.UB 

GUIDE TO PLACES OF INTEREST. 

Visitors will find it to their advantage to see the various places in the following order, 
starting at the " Minute Man" and going north on the west side of the Common. 

1. Fountain and Minutk Man. 

2. Lexington Common. 

3. Meeting House Tablet on the Common. 

4. House of Marrett and Nathan Munroe. 

Massachusetts Ave., beside the Conimon. See p. -26'. 

5. Monument on the Common. 

U. "Ye Old Burying Ground." 

Massachusetts Ave., in rear of First Church. 

7. First Parish Church, erected 184>7, Isaac Melvin, 

Architect. 
Eiin Ave. 

8. Harrington House. 

Corner of Elm Ave., and Bedford St. See p. 'AO. 

9. Normal School Building. 

Elm Ave., called Historic Hall, where the first Normal School 
in America was opened Julj^ 3, 1H3}>. 

10. Hancock"Clarke HoiTSE. 

Hancock Street. In this old house Hancock and Adams 
were sleepinf,? when aroused by Paul Revere. It contains 
the valuable collection belonging to Lexington Historical So- 
ciety. Open to the public. 

3T 



1 1 . FisKE House. 

The home of Surgeon Fiske who cared for the provincial and 
British soldiers who were wounded April 19, 177.5. 

"^^ Returning along East Side of Common . 

12. Boulder Marking the Position of the Minute Men on 

THE Common. See p. 21. 

13. BucKMAN Tavern, Containing British Bullet Holes. 

Bedford St.. beside the Common. See p. -22. 

14. Old Belfry. 

Belfry Hill off Clarke St., to the right near Hancock School. 
See p. 2.'). 

15. Carv Memorial Library. 

Massachusetts Ave., open from 10 a.m. to S i'.:m, 

10. Town Hall. 

Containing- the Sandliam painting of the Battle. 

17. Stone Cannon. 

Massachusetts Ave., on High School Grounds. 

18. Stone Tablet. 

Massachusetts Ave., near Bloomfield Street. 

19. Munroe Tavern. See p. 80. 

Massachusetts Ave., about three quarters of a mile from the 
Common. 

20. Sanderson House. 

Near Munroe Tavern. A wounded British soldier was left here. 

21. House of Jonathan Harrington, the Last Survivor 

OF THE Battle of Lexington, 

Massachusetts Ave.. East Lexington. 

22. Tablet. 

Cor. of Pleasant Street and Massachusetts Avenue. East 
Lexington. 

23. Birthplace of Theodore Parker. 

About two miles south of the Common. 

24. Tablets on Concord Road. 




I'lTCAIRN S I'ISTOI.S, IX CARV I.IBHARV 

38 



INSCRIPTIONS ON ALL THE HISTORIC TABLETS IN THE 
TOWN OF LEXINGTON. 



ON THE STONE PULPIT ON THE COMMON. 





Site of the First Three Meeting 




Houses in Lexington 


I 


Bl'Il.T Hiihi WHEN THK ToWN WAS A PaHISII 




OK CaMKKIDGK. 


II 


Brii.T 1713 ox Tin: iNroiiroitAiioN of 




Lexinc.tox. 


III 


Brii.T 1794-. BriiNKO JSKi. This si'or is 




THIS IDENTIKlEl) WITH THE ToWn"s 




HiSTOUY lOR 1.50 YEARS. 

1 



PASTORATES 




BeN.IAJIIN EsiAHHOOK - - - 


l(;<)i-l«f)r 


John Hancock _ . - _ 


l69H-n52 


Jonas Ceakke ----- 


17.55-1805 


AvEItV M^IM.IASIS - - - - 


1807-1815 


Chaimes Bni(ii;s _ - - - 


1819-1835 


Wll.l.lAM C. SWETT - - - 


I8:}()-1839 


Jason Whit^ian - _ - - 


1845-184.6 



TABLETS ON HOUSES FACING THE COMMON. 



HOITSE BUILT 1(J90 
KNOWN AS THE 

BucKMAN Tavern 

It E N n EZ V O IS OI' T H E 

MiNi'TE Men 

MAUK FOlt MKITISH BUEEETS 
APRIl, 19, 1775 



HOUSE OF 

.Jt)NATHAN Harrington 

WHO WOlINDEn ON THE I'OMJION 

Ai'niE 19 1775 

DHAGGED HIMSEI.I' TO I'HE 

DOOR AND DIED AT HIS 

wife's FEET 





HOUSE OF 


M 


arrett and Nathan 




MUNROE 




B U I L T 1 7 2 9 


A 


WITNESS OF THE BATTLE 



BIRTHl'l.ACE OF 

DeLIVERENCE MlNROK 

DAUGHTER OF 

Marreit and 1)ei,iveren( e Munroe 

AM) WIFE OI' 

Knsign .Iohn Winshii' 

THIS TABLET PLACED BY DFI.IV Fit i:Nl E 31UXROE 

CHAPTER DAI;GHTI:KS OI' REVOLUTION 

MARCH 1900 



ON THE BOULDER. 



TABLET ON THE OLD BELFRY. 



LINE OF THE MINUTE MEN 

APRIL li) 177.'5 

STAND YOUR (! ROUND DOn't FIRE UNLESS 
FIRED UPON BliT IF THEY JIEAN TO HAVE A WAR 

LET IT BEGIN HERE 

— Captain Parker 



THIS Belfry was erected on this hill in 176'1 

AND REMOVED TO THE COMMON IN 1768. Ix IT 

WAS HUNG THE BELL WHICH HUNG OUT THE 

ALARM ON THE 19tH OF APRIL 1775 

in 1797 it was reivroved to the parker home- 
stead in the soi'th part of the town 
in 1891 it was brought back to this spot by the 
Lexington Historical Society 
REBUILT 1910 



39 



TABLETS ON HANCOCK STREET. 



Bl'II.T l«f)H 


ENLARGED 1734 




RESIDENCE OE 


Rev. 


John Hancock .5.5 years 




AND OE HIS SITC'CESSOH 


Rev. 


Jonas Clarke .50 years 


HERE SaJIUEI, AdaMS AND JoHN HaNCOCK 


WERE 


SLEEPING WHEN AROUSED BY 


Pai 


I, Revere April 19 1773 



BUILT 1732 
HOUSE OE 

Dr. Joseph Fiske 

WHO ATTENDED THE WOUNDED APRIL 19 1775 

AND SERVED IN THE CONTINENTAL ARMY 

AS SURGEON THROUGHOUT THE WAR 



STONE TABLETS ON THE CONCORD ROAD. 



at this well april 19 1775 

James Hayward of Acton 

met a british soldier who raising his gun 

SAID YOU ARE A DEAD MAN 

AND SO ARE YOU REPLIED HaYWARD 

BOTH EIRED THE SOLDIER WAS INSTANTLY 

KILLED AND HaYWARD MORTALLY 

WOUNDED 



This Bluff was used as a Rallying 
Point by the British 

April 19 177.5 

after a sharp eight they retreated to 
FiSKE Hill from which they were 

DRIVEN IN GREAT CONFUSION 



STONE CANNON ON THE GROUNDS OF THE HIGH SCHOOL. 



NEAR THIS SPOT 

EARL PERCY 

with reenforcejlents planted a 
fieldpiece to cover the retreat of the 
British Troops 
APRIL 19 1775 



WOBURN STREET. 



MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE. 



HOUSE OF 

Benjamin Merriam 

ONE oj THE Mini TE Men whose family eled 

ON the approach of the British 

who pillaged the house 

APRIL 19 1775 



On the Hill to the South was Planted 

One of the British Fieldpieces 

APRIL 19 1775 

to command the village 

AND its approaches AND NEAR THIS PI.AC E 
SEVERAL BUILDINGS WERE BURNED 



MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE. 



EAST LEXINGTON. 



Earl Percy's 

Headquarters and Hospital 

APRIL 19 1775 

THE MUNROE TAVERN 

BUILT 1695 



HOME OF 

Jonathan Harrington 

THE LAST 

Survivor of the Battle of Lexington 
BORN JULY 8 1758 died march 27 1854 



40 



Parker. A marble obelisk marks the grave of Gov. Wm. 
Eustice, governor of Massachusetts 182,3-182.5 and a member 
of Capt. Parker's eomi)any. John Augustus Avas buried in 
tomb No. 4, near the entrance. 

The Hancock tomb contains the remains of Rev. and Mrs. 
John Hancock, Rev. Kbenezer Hancock, Rev. and Mrs. Jonas 
Clarke, Mrs. Mary Clarke Ware, — wife of Rev. Henry Ware, 
D.D., — and three other children of Mr. Clarke. The tomb 
was sealed in 184,S, when the last daughter of Mr. Clarke was 
buried there. 



John Greenleaf Whittier wrote the following poein to ac- 
company the bust f)f Sewall in Cary Memorial Library : — • 

Like that ancestral judge who bore his name, 
Faithful to Freedom and to Truth, he gave, 

W^hen all the air was hot with wrath and blame. 
His youth and manhotKl to the fettered slave. 

And never Woman in her suffering saw 
A helper tender, wise and brave as he, 

Lifting her burden of unrighteous law. 
He shamed the boast of ancient chivalry. 

Noiseless as light that melts the darkness is. 
He wrought as dutv led and honor bid. 

No trumpet heralds victories like his. 
The unselfish worker in his work is hid. 



33 




THE OLDEST GRAVESTONE IN THE OLD GRAVEYARD 



RELICS. 

£<exiiigtoii possesses many interesting and valuable relics of past 
centuries many of -wliicli are referred to elsewhere in fliis book. 



In The Town Hall is a fine oil painting 8 x 1^ feet of the 
Battle of Lexington by Henry Sandham, owned by the Lexing- 
ton Historical Society. On the frame are these inscriptions — 

TOO FEW TO RESIST, TOO BRAVE TO FLY. 

"THE DAWN OF LIBERTY/' 

APRIL 19 LEXINGTON ITT-'l. 

(This picture is reproduced on the cover of this book.) 



34 




C'AltV .-MKMOIUAI. l.lHKAltY 

GARY MEMORIAL LIBRARY 

was established in IcSOS, and the jji-esent memorial buildino- was 
dedicated in 19()(i. Willard 1). Brown of Lexiuuton, architect. 
It is open every week day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. It contains 
about '^T), ()()() volumes with a cai)acity for .50,000 volumes ; read- 
ing, study and art rooms; a marble bust of Theodore Parker, 
made by Sidney H. Morse, 187tJ; a bust of Samuel K. Sewall 
by Amos Whitney (see paye 'A3); a bust of Brig. GenT 
William Francis Bartlett ; a fine large oil painting of Colum- 
bus at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile," by V. 
Brozik of Paris; jjortrait of Karl Percy, a copy by Pope, ^^79, 
from the original by Pompeo Bartoni ; portrait of Paul Revere 
by Jane E. Bartlett KSS.S, after Gilbert Stuart 181.S; portrait 
of William Dawes (cojjy), painter of the original unknown; 
portrait of Col. William Munroe, Orderly Sergeant of Capt. 
Parker's company, by Greenwood (painted on wood); |)ortrait 
of Samuel Bowman; portrait of William H. Cary by Edgar 
Parker (from photogra|)h ) ; portrait of Mrs. William H. Cary 
by Edgar Parker, IST^-; etc. 

35 



HANCOCK-CLARKE HOUSE 

is the chief repository of the town and contains nearly the whole 
collection oi the Historical Society, numbering- over one thou- 
sand articles. Connected with this house is a commodious fire- 
proof vault for the preservation of the more valuable property. 
Prominent in this collection are portraits of Rev. and Mrs. John 
Hancock, painted by Smibert, silhouette — life size — of Rev. 
Jonas Clarke, set of Doolittle's engravings of the battle of Lex- 
ington and Concord, sword of Robert Newman who hung the 
lanterns in the North Church steeple for Paul Revere, pocket- 
book of Joshua Bentley who rowed Revere across the Charles 
River on the night of April 18, 1775, cannon balls fired by 
Earl Percy's troops April 19, 1775, muskets and swords used 
by Minute Men, silk vest and gold ring once worn by Gov. 
Jonas Hancock, ink well and sermon case and letter seal of 
Theodore Parker, lantern formerly used by Paul Revere, the 
drum that beat the alarm for the Minute Men to assemble, 
Maj. Pitcairn's pistols, minature on ivory of Maj. Pitcairn, 
copied from original, tongue of the bell which alarmed the town 
on April 19. 1775, bill of Dr. Joseph Fiske of Lexington for 
caring for the wounded British soldiers, banner which welcomed 
Lafayette 1824, furniture and implements of colonial days, 
valuable manuscripts and publications. 



36 




JIODKltX I.EXIXGTON, THK OLD BEl.IRY CI.ITB 

GUIDE TO PLACES OF INTEREST. 

Visitors will find it to their advantage to sec the various places in the following order, 
starting at the " Minute Man" and going north on the west side of the Common. 

1. Fountain and Minute Man. 
'■2. Lexington Common. 

3. Meeting House Tablet on the Common. 

4. House of Marrett and Nathan Munroe. 

Massachusetts Ave., beside the Common. See p. -26. 

5. Monument on the Common. 

t). 'Ye Old Bi'rying (Ground." 

Massachusetts Ave., in rear of First Church. 

7. First Parish Church, erected 184-7, Isaac Melvin, 

Architect. 
Ehn Ave. 

8. Harrington House. 

Corner of Ehn Ave., and Bedford St. See p. SO. 

9. Normal School Building. 

Elm Ave., called Historic Hall, where the first Normal School 
in America was opened Jul}' S. IHSf). 

10. Hancock-Clarke House. 

Hancock Street. In this old house Hancock and Adams 
were sleeping when aroused by Paul Revere. It contains 
the valuable collection belonging to Lexington Historical So- 
ciety. Open to the public. 

87 



1 ] . FisKE House. 

The home of Surgeon Fiske who cared for the provincial and 
British soldiers who were wounded April 19, 177.5. 

"^^ Returning along East Side of Common. 

12. Boulder Marking the Position of the Minute Men on 
THE Common. See p. 21. 

iri. BucKMAN Tavern, Containing British Bullet Holes. 
Bedford St.. beside the Common. See p. 21. 

14. Old Belfry. 

Belfry Hill off Clarke St., to the right near Hancock School. 
See p. '25. 

15. Cary Memorial Library. 

Massachusetts Ave., open from 10 a.^i. to S i'.:Nr. 

IG. Town Hall. 

Containing- the Sandham painting of the Battle. 

17. Stone Cannon. 

Massachusetts Ave., on High School Grounds. 

18. Stone Tablet. 

Massachusetts Ave., near Bloomfield Street. 

19. Munroe Tavern. See j). SO. 

Massachusetts Ave., about three quarters of a mile from the 
Common. 

20. Sanderson House. 

Near Munroe Tavern. A wounded British soldier was left here. 

21. House of Jonathan Harrington, the Last Survivor 

of the Battle of Lexington. 

Massachusetts Ave., East Lexington. 

22. Tablet. 

Cor. of Pleasant Street and Massachusetts Avenue, East 
Lexington. 

2.3. Birthplace of Theodore Parker. 

About two miles south of the Common. 

24. Tablets on Concord Road, 




VITCAIRN S PISTOLS. IN CAKV LIBHAHV 

38 



INSCRIPTIONS ON ALL THE HISTORIC TABLETS IN 
TOWN OF LEXINGTON. 



THE 



ON THE STONE PULPIT ON THE COMMON. 



Site of thk First Three Meeting 
Houses in Lexington 

I. Buil/i' 1()92 WHEN THE ToWN WAS A PaIIISH 

01" Cambkidge. 
II. Bril.T 1713 ox THE iMoiti'oii A HON ok 

Lexington. 
III. Bi'iiT 1794. BritNEn ISKi. Thissi-otis 

THUS IDENTIFIED WITH THE ToWn's 
HiSTOllY 1-OR 130 YEARS. 



I'A SIX) RATES 




BeN.IAJ1IN KsTAUItOOK - - - 


]«9i-l(i!)7 


John Hancoc k - - - . 


I()9H-17,5i 


Jonas Ci.akke ----- 


175,5-180.5 


Aveuy Williams - - - - 


1807-1815 


Chaui.es BuKiOS - - - - 


1819-1835 


Wll.IJAM C. SWEIT - - - 


1836-18.39 


Jason Whitman - - - - 


1845-1 8 If) 



TABLETS ON HOUSES FACING THE COMMON. 



HOrSE BUI1,T 1690 
known as THE 

BucKMAN Tavern 

U E N D E X Y O I' S O 1' 'J 

Mini TE ]\Ien 

MARK EOll BRITISH Bl'E 

Ai'Hii, 19, 1775 



HOUSE OE 

I .Jonathan Harrington 

WHO WOUNDED ON THE COj-MSION 

APRii, 19 1775 

DUACCiED HIMSEI.E TO THE 

DOOR AND DIED AT HIS 

wife's FEET 



HOUSE OF 

Marrett and Nathan 

MUNROE 

B U I L T 17 2 9 

A WITNESS OF THE BATTLE 



BIRTHPLACE OF 

Deliverence Munroe 

daughter of 

Marrett and Deliverence Munroe 

and wife of 

Knsign John Winship 

THIS TABLET I'LAt'ED BY DELIVERENCE JllNUOE 

CHAl'TEII DAUGHTEHS OF U EVOLUTION 

MARCH 1900 



ON THE BOULDER. 



TABLET ON THE OLD BELFRY. 



LINK OF THE MINUTE MEN 

Al'RII, ] fi 1 77,'> 

STAND YOUIt G HOUND DOn't FIRE UNLESS 
FIRED UPON BUT IF THEV .^lEAN TO HAVE A WAR 

LET IT BEGIN HERE 

— Captain Parker 



THIS Belfry was erected on this hill in 1761 

AND REMOVED TO THE COMMON IN 1768. In IT 

WAS HUNG THE BELL WHICH RUNG OUT THE 

ALARM ON THE 19tH OF APRIL 1775 

in 1797 it was removed to the parker hojie- 

stead in the south part of the town 

in 1891 it was brought back to this spot by the 

Lexincjton Historical Socif:ty 

REBUILT 1910 



39 



TABLETS ON HANCOCK STREET. 



Brii/r 169H 


BESIDENt'E Ot 


ENLARGED 


1734 


Rev. 


John Hancock 55 years 
and of his successor 




Rev. Jonas Clarke .50 years 

nEKK Sami'ei, Adams and John HAXtocK 

were si.eel'ing when aboused bv 

Paiti. Revere Ai'rii, 19 1775 



BUILT 1732 

house of 
Dr. Joseph Fiske 

who attended the wounded APRIL 19 1775 

AND SERVED IN THE CONTINENTAL ARMY 

AS SURGEON THROUGHOUT THE WAR 



STONE TABLETS ON THE CONCORD ROAD. 



AT THIS WELL APRIL 19 1775 

James H a y w a r d of Acton 

MET A BRITISH SOLDIER WHO RAISING HIS GUN 

SAID YOU ARE A DEAD MAN 

AND SO ARE VOU REPLIED HaYWARD 

BOTH FIRED THE SOLDIER WAS INSTANTLY 

KILLED AND HaYWARD .MORTALLY 

WOUNDED 



This Bluff was used as a Rallying 
Point by the British 

April 19 1775 

after a sharp fight they retreated to 
Fiske Hill from which they were 

DRIVEN in great CONFUSION 



STONE CANNON ON THE GROUNDS OF THE HIGH SCHOOL. 



near this spot 
EARL PERCY 

WITH HEENFORCEMENTS PLANTED A 
FIELDPIECE to COVER THE RETREAT OF THE 

British Troops 
APRIL 19 1775 



WOBURN STREET. 



MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE. 



house of 
Benjamin Merriam 

ONE of the MiNlTTE MeN WHOSE FAMILY FLED 

ON THE APPROACH OF THE BrITISH 

WHO PILLAGED THE HOI'SE 

APRIL 19 1775 



On the Hill to the South avas Planted 

One of the British Fieldpieces 

APRIL 19 1775 

TO COMMAND THE VILLAGE 

AND ITS APPROAC HES AND NEAR THIS PLACE 

SEVERAL Bl'ILDINGS WERE BURNED 



MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE. 



EAST LEXINGTON. 



Earl Percy's 

Headquarters and Hospital 

APRIL 19 1775 

THE MUNROE TAVERN 

BUILT 1695 



HOME OF 

Jonathan Harrington 

THE LAST 

Survivor of the Baitle of Lexington 
BORN JULY 8 1758 died march 27 1854 



40 



STONE TABLI'/r, KAST LEXINGTON 
(corner of pleasant street) 

Near tliis spot 

at early dawn on tlie 

19th of April, 1775, 

Benjamin Wellin>)ton, 

a minute man, 

was suriJrised by British 

scouts and disarmed. 

With undaunted courage 

he borrowed another- gun and 

hastened to join his comrades 

on Lexington Green. 

He also served his c-ountry 

at White Plains and 

Saratoga, 

The first armed man 

taken in the Revolution. 



41 



TABLET ON THE ROAD TO CONCORD 

(in the town of Lincoln) 

AT THIS POINT 

on the i>ld Concord road, as it then 
was, ended tlie midnioht ride of 
Paul Revere. He had at about 
two o'clock of the evenino- of April 
19, 1775, the nioht beino; clear and 
the moon in its third quarter, t>ot 
thus far on his way from Lexiny,- 
ton to Concord, alarmin<>' the in- 
habitants as he went, when lie 
and his companions, William 
Dawes of Boston and Dr. Samuel 
Prescott of Concord, were suddenly 
lialted by a British patrol, who 
had stationed themselves at this 
bend of the road. Dawes, turn- 
in<>' back, made his escape. Pres- 
cott, clearing the stone wall and 
following a path known to him 
through the low ground, regained 
the liigliway at a i)oint further 
on and gave the alarm at Concord. 
Revere tried to reach the neigh- 
boring wood, but was intercepted 
by a i^arty of officers accompany- 
ing the patrol, detained and kei)t 
in arrest. Presently he was car- 
ried by the patrol back to Lex- 
ington and there released. He next 
morning joined Hancock and Ad- 
ams. Tliree men of Lexington 
Sanderson, Brown and Loriug, 
stop|)ed at an earlier liour of the 
night by the same |)atr(»l, were 
also taken back witli Revere. 
A-2 




TONGUE OF THE OLD CHURCH BELL 

WWich, on the morning jf April igrh, .775. sounded tWe Alar 

summoning the Citizens of Lei'ogtnn to rally and 

resist the appfoach of the S'ltuh. 



JUL 



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